July 2017 - Boston

 
Doing Good Together™ (DGT™) is looking to expand our volunteer team in Boston!
 
We are seeking people for two roles:

1) The DGT Boston Listing Coordinator:
  • Researches nonprofits in the Boston area
  • Contacts identified nonprofits, either by email and/or phone, to find out about potential family-friendly volunteer opportunities
  • Identifies 4-6 different family-friendly volunteer opportunities each month
  • Writes up the opportunities for the Boston monthly listing
DGT staff will help you with the steps you can take to find those opportunities, answer your questions and provide materials to help you find family-friendly volunteer opportunities in your community.

Time Commitment: Five to ten hours per month. One-year commitment preferred.

2) The DGT Boston Marketing Coordinator:
  • Promotes DGT in local newspapers, magazines, and other press resources
  • Finds creative and effective ways to increase the database of families who receive the Boston monthly listing
Time Commitment: Approximately five hours per month. One-year commitment preferred.
 
goCreate: Craft 4th of July Cards & Decorations for Veterans!
Boston Cares
 
Date/Time: Saturday, July 1, noon - 2pm
 
Location: Full opportunity address will be emailed to you once you are signed up

GoCreate is an initiative to engage youth and families in service. Boston Cares offers a hands-on portable project on one Sunday each month for kids to get crafty while making an impact. Each month's project will meet a community need and the completed goods will be donated to local agencies to fulfill that need. Join Boston Cares in July to brighten up a Veterans Fourth of July! Volunteers will create cards of thanks and appreciation to be distributed to community members at the New England Center & Home for Veterans in Boston. Volunteers will also be creating various decorations to be displayed in the center to celebrate the holiday.

Ages: This project is intended for families with young children, five and older. An adult 18 or older must accompany all volunteers under age 13.
 
Time Commitment: Two hours
 
Contact: Katie Edelman, kedelman@bostoncares.org, 617.422.0910, ext. 208. Registration is available online and an orientation with Boston Cares is required. Volunteer spots fill up quickly so sign-up soon!
www.bostoncares.org

 
Family Friendly Volunteer Days
Brookwood Community Farm
 
Date/Time: Saturday, July 8, 10 - 11:30am or 11:30am - 1pm
 
Location: 11 Blue River Hill Road, Canton

Brookwood Community Farm's mission is to build a farm-centered community that members call their own. You can teach your children the joy of working with their hands, spending time outside, and the values of knowing where their food comes from as well as the importance of community service. Join us for family friendly volunteer days the second Saturday of each month during the growing season! We'll be doing fieldwork or a special farm project that even little hands can do. Don't forget snacks, water, sunscreen and a hat!

Ages:
Families with children of all ages are welcome. Children under age 12 must participate with a caregiver.
 
Time Commitment: One and one-half hour shifts.
 
Contact:  education@brookwoodcommunityfarm.org. Registration is required to tailor the project to the group or provide activities while parents volunteer.
www.brookwoodcommunityfarm.org
 
 
JF&CS Family Table Distribution
Jewish Family and Children's Service
 
Date/Time: Sunday, July 16, between two to three hours
9 - 11:30am to set up the pantry and pack and deliver groceries
10:15am - 12:45pm to pack and deliver groceries
 
Location: 1430 Main Street, Waltham
 
Family Table provides healthy food on a monthly and emergency basis to individuals and families in need. Their mission is to end hunger in the Greater Boston Jewish community while serving people who need our assistance, regardless of religious affiliation. Family Table fulfills its mission by providing Kosher food, creating a caring Jewish connection, and empowering people to make healthy eating a part of their daily lives. Family Table serves more than 100 towns across Greater Boston, the North Shore, and the South Area. Currently, Family Table is helping more than 500 families each month with groceries and connections to other services. Volunteers are needed to help with the following tasks:
  • Setting up the pantry
  • Packaging and delivering food orders to recipient families
Ages: All ages are welcome and encouraged to volunteer when accompanied by an adult.
 
Time Commitment: One to three hours depending on the activity. Volunteers can arrive at 9am to help with setup.
 
Contact: Email familytable@jfcsboston.org at least two weeks before distribution date to sign up. All adult volunteers must complete a JF&CS administered CORI background check.
 
 
Playmats Family Volunteer Opportunity
Room to Grow
 
Date/Time: Saturday, July 22, 10am - noon
 
Location: 142 Berkeley St, Boston

Room to Grow provides parents raising babies in poverty with one-to-one parenting support and essential baby items throughout their children's critical first three years of life. Parents receive developmental information, customized support, and all of the needed baby items to ensure a healthy and secure start for their child. You and your family can help make a difference in the lives of babies being raised in poverty by crafting playmats for Room to Grow clients.

Ages: Families with children ages eight and older are welcome to volunteer. A parent must accompany all children.
 
Time Commitment: Two hours
 
Contact: Email infoboston@roomtogrow.org for more information or to sign up. Space is limited.
 
 
Summer Saturday Volunteers
Needham Community Farm
 
Date/Time: Saturday mornings, 8am - noon
 
Location: Pine Street site; please be sure to verify the location of the specific volunteer day that you signed up for. Check website for location and directions.
The mission of the Needham Community Farm is to deepen our community's connection to nature, our food system and each other.  We focus on three intertwined program areas:
  • Providing farm-based educational opportunities for learning about sustainable growing and nutrition.
  • Increasing access to healthy produce for those in our community who experience food insecurity.
  • Building community through volunteerism.
Saturday volunteers help by harvesting produce for the Needham Community Council Food Pantry (if anything is ready). Then, volunteers will do other farm projects, such as bed preparation, moving compost, weeding, trellising, mulching and more. Learn more about volunteering here.

Ages: Although families with children of all ages are welcome to volunteer, tasks vary over the course of the growing season. On a given day, there is a chance that there may not be tasks available that are appropriate for very young children, though they are still welcome to come and enjoy the Farm while supervised by their parent or guardian. Youth 12 years and younger must be accompanied by an adult or an older sibling (at least 15 years old) who will volunteer along with them.
 
Time Commitment: Four hours
 
 
 
Wish List Supply Drive
Heading Home
 
Date/Time: Flexible, contact Lauren to make arrangements
 
Location: The Schrafft Center, 529 Main Street, Suite 100, Charlestown

Heading Home is one of the largest providers of shelter for homeless families and individuals in the Commonwealth. Our mission is to end homelessness in Greater Boston by providing a supported pathway to self-sufficiency that begins with a home, together with critical services. You and your family can help! Our shelters are always in need of new and/or gently used donations for our clients. By running a donation drive, you can supply our families and individuals with critical day-to-day items. Our most pressing needs are:
  • Cleaning supplies
  • Household items (kitchenware, toiletries, etc.)
  • New linens (twin size, please!)
  • New pillows
  • New mattress pads
Ages: Everyone is welcome to participate
 
Time Commitment: Varies
 
Contact: Lauren Jackson, ljackson@headinghomeinc.org
 
 
Jimmy Fund Theatre Collections
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/The Jimmy Fund
 
Date/Time: Volunteers are needed Monday - Sunday, from now until July 28. Four-hour shifts are offered throughout the day from 12:30pm - 10:30pm
 
Location: Select movie theaters throughout MA, RI, CT, NY, OH.

The Jimmy Fund/Variety Children's Charities Theatre Collections Program is looking for local movie lovers with big hearts and a few spare hours to help raise money for cancer care and research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute this summer. Now in its 68th year, the program launched in 1949 and is the Jimmy Fund's oldest annual fundraising effort. Since its inception the program has raised more than $30 million. Volunteers are needed to pass collection canisters to guests in movie theatres following a brief Jimmy Fund trailer. All contributions go directly to the Jimmy Fund, which supports lifesaving adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
 
Volunteers can earn exciting incentives from a volunteer t-shirt, to complimentary National Amusements movie passes, to Blue Man Group or Boston Red Sox tickets (while supplies last)! Volunteer and learn more today!
 
Ages: All ages encouraged (if under 12, you must be accompanied by an adult)
 
Time Commitment: Four hour shifts
 
Contact: Elizabeth Weber, elizabetha_weber@dfci.harvard.edu or 617.582.7724. Registration is available online
www.jimmyfund.org/theatre

 
 
Become a Citizen Scientist
Doing Good Together/SciStarter

Date/Time: Flexible, on your own schedule

Location: Your home or community
 
Make science your next family service project! A citizen scientist is a curious person wiling to volunteer time, effort, and resources to further scientific endeavors, often - though not always - in collaboration with researchers. Choose one among hundreds of research projects searchable through SciStarter.com. Some are online only. Others get you out into nature. Still others put you to work analyzing results. The truly great thing about citizen science through SciStarter is that you can choose a project based on your interests, the financial investment you're prepared to make, and your child's ability. Visit Doing Good Together's Be a Citizen Scientist project page for more ideas and resources.

Ages: There are projects for children of all ages

Time Commitment: Varies, depending on project

Contact: mail@doinggoodtogether.org

 
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Social media makes it easy to find and share DGT's messages of kindness and caring with others! Each day, on a variety of social media channels, we offer simple service project ideas, recommend big-hearted books, share inspiring stories, and suggest family-friendly websites. "Like" us on  Facebook, check out our pinnable  Pinterest page, and follow us on  Twitter and  Instagram. Don't forget to subscribe to our  wonderful blog too!

 

 

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This list was compiled by Doing Good Together™ (www.doinggoodtogether.org)
 When calling to volunteer for any of the opportunities listed above, please let the coordinator know you found it through this listing. You are encouraged to ask any questions you may have of the sponsoring organization before committing to a project.
Disclaimer: This list is provided as a service to families. Inclusion of organizations in this listing does not imply affiliation, endorsement or quality assurance on the part of Doing Good Together.™ Doing Good Together™ bears no responsibility whatsoever for the activities and actions of the listed organizations. 
                                                                            

                                                                                                     © 2017 Doing Good Together™